Monday, August 20, 2012

What's The Deal With Argan Oil, Anyway? (Jerry Seinfeld Voice)

You seriously can't swing a dic...tionary (See what I did there?) without seeing something about how freakin' AMAZEBALLS (I'm using that ironically; I hate it.) Argan oil is for everything from your face to body to hair. I have used some kind of Argan oil product on my hair for probably the last five years, when Moroccan Oil shoved Biosilk to the curb. Oh, Biosilk...That mess was my jam FOR. EV. A.

But beyond that, I never really explored any other beauty products with Argan oil, or even really known what it was. I read a bunch about it on Wikipedia, then I promptly forgot it all. But I do remember that originally they harvested the nuts or whatever from goat poop. Enjoy that nugget (har, har) of knowledge.

If you don't remember this, ugggggh.

It comes from the kernel (nut?) of the Argan tree, which kind of looks like a bigger version of Mr. Miyagi's Bonsai tree. Part of the process has to be done by hand, so that's probably why that ish is pretty expensive. So quit your bitching, unless you want to crack the nuts yourself.

pic via wikipedia

Okay, enough about real information. Let's get to the good good. I must confess, I haven't used Argan oil on my face. But I have been using Tarte's Maracuja Oil, that I got as part of a cosmetic set.

It's not as thick as Argan oil, and mine is a little mini size that has a roller ball deal on the top, which is pretty bad as eff. But I have taken to using this stuff as a night time moisturizer, and I love it. My face feels ridic soft in the morning, and not super oily. Which is weird, because well, it's a friggin' oil.

Okay, back to the topic at hand, Argan oil. On my hunt for awesome products containing the ol' magical oil, I discovered that Kiehl's has a full line of Argan oil based products for both hair and body. And Kiehl's is obvi the bee's knees, so I harassed them until they let me try them. Just kidding -- they are totally nice, and did not file a restraining order -- yet.

I am usually a body oil kind of girl, and I don't mind a greasy one. (All of that sounded super inappropriate.) But this oil is absorbed quickly, and moisturizes the hell out ya skin. And the lotion is equally as fabulous. My main problem with lotion, generally, is that I feel like it just "sits" on top of my skin and feels filmy. But this leaves my skin feel soft and silky. And they both have a kind of citrusy, nutty, non-perfumey smell that I totally enjoy. I feel like even dudes could use these. I seriously can't choose which one I like more. Don't make me Sophie's Choice it up in this b.

For the hair situation, I also have found some badassery with Argan oil. For a super moisturizing hair masque, Kiehl's Superbly Smoothing Argan Hair Pak ($25) is the business. It's not crazy heavy and oily, and it's silicone and paraben-free. I use it about once a week, and it makes my hair like butta.

I was also given an Argan oil leave-in to try, coming from a company that is new to me. It's called U LUXURY Argan Oil (about $48) from Unite Hair, and this has become my daily down a*s b. I like this more than the shall-remain-unnamed Argan oil that I have been using for about the past year, and even more than the original Moroccan Oil. It has yet to make my hair feel oily, or over-productized. (Listen, I know that that is not even close to being a word, but just go with it.) You know that feeling, when you've used too much crap in your hair? And you get that sinking feeling of "Oh, ish. I'm going to have to wash this mop all over again, aren't I?" Not with this lil' lady, you won't.

So what did we learn today? Rubbing nut juice all over your face, hair, and body is super good for it. ( SOMEONE STOP THESE WORDS FROM COMING FROM MY FINGERS. IT'S ALL TOO MUCH.) But seriously, Argan oil is friggin' boss, you guys. Even for this oily b. Do you guys have a favorite Argan (or other type of oil) product? TELL ME EVERYTHING.